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Two years ago, George* leaned across his fence in Hovd, Mongolia to ask his friend and neighbor a question.
“Would you lend me $800 so I can pay a bribe to get a job?” he asked Marvin, a CAMA worker.
George didn’t ask the question lightly. He knew Marvin and his wife, Hayley, long enough to know they don’t often loan money. But to George, this seemed the only way to provide for his young, growing family.
The next day Marvin gave George an answer. He and Hayley wouldn't lend him money but, if George wanted, they could pray together that God would help him find work. It was a significant step when George agreed to pray.
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A Hobby Becomes A Business
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Today George and his wife are the founders, owners, and employees of Hovd Blades, a small business specializing in hand-forged knives.
As a boy, George learned the basics of blacksmithing by watching his dad. George is creative and hardworking and started making knives as a hobby. But who would buy his homemade knives when you could buy a shiny mass-produced knife for four dollars? One of the biggest obstacles for entrepreneurs in Mongolia is finding an accessible market.
Marvin and Hayley, a couple you support through the CAMA Advance Fund, helped George establish a relationship with a fair-trade shop in the capital city. They also worked together to establish quality standards, design marketing and packaging material, and find knife designs that sell well to tourists that frequent the shop.
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CAMA didn’t hire George, or loan him thousands of dollars, or give him expensive tools. Every part of George’s business he has worked for and paid for.
“It's not our business; it’s his,” Marvin says. “What has been critical is coming alongside him to encourage, counsel, look for solutions to unexpected problems, and most of all, share the reason for the Hope within us.”
This past year George and his family moved out of the house on his parent’s property into a new home, built on his own land. He just finished putting the roof on his new home.
A new perspective, encouragement, prayer, and hope transformed George’s life. As we head into 2019, let’s begin with the Hope we have in Christ and pray for a new perspective on the opportunities and challenges before us.
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* Name changed
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Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
 CAMA, through the Alliance, is a registered non-profit in the State of Colorado and is an exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
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